ORIGIN

See Where They Rust: 1966 Sunbeam Tiger MkIA

“See Where They Rust” is a new series and category where we feature listings that do a particularly good job displaying where certain models tend to suffer from rust. We love looking for rust-free cars, but we have learned a ton about how to inspect the dry cars from looking at photos of heavily rusted models. Obviously floors and rocker panels are always at risk, but every model has different special areas where they corrode. We hope that this series is informative and helpful when you are verifying the claims of sellers and their “99% rust free” cars. -BaT

This 1966 Sunbeam Tiger (chassis B382001760LRXFE) is described as almost entirely complete except for a missing air cleaner housing and front valance, and though thought to be matching numbers the car shows very serious rust throughout. Floors, rockers, body and frame all have varying degrees of rot, much of which is far beyond repair and will require donor or scratch fabricated replacements. We don’t doubt it can be done, but fixing this one up is going to require serious commitment. Find it here on eBay in London, Ontario, Canada with a $7k BIN.

​Trim including bumpers, various brightwork and plastics seems largely intact, though the passenger side taillight isn’t currently on the car and appears to have been removed to facilitate some partially completed repair work. Rockers are virtually non-existent, and both fenders on the driver’s side are heavily rusted through. Surprisingly, the trunk floor appears to be among the most solid pieces of metal remaining. Underbody shots show nightmarish, artificial reef levels of corrosion, to the point that we’d hesitate to open both doors with the hardtop removed prior to bracing it elsewhere for fear of it all breaking neatly in half.

​Seats aren’t pictured, but are presumed to be included. Floors are nearly completely rotten and show daylight in several places where the normally adjoining inner rockers have long since turned to iron oxide dust, though the reah bulkhead and shelf look relatively solid.

​Gauges, switchgear and steering wheel remain intact, and apart from a missing horn trim ring looks to have everything necessary for rebuild accounted for. The hardtop looks relatively untouched, but the seller admits that has rust in all the typical areas as well—anyone familiar with where that would be, exactly?

​The Ford 260CI V8 looks complete under the hood, and numbers stamped into a valve cover are claimed to match the VIN plate. The 4-speed transmission also appears to be included, and even if unopened we think it’d be wise to expect a full drivetrain rebuild—cars don’t rust this heavily overnight, and years of neglect have likely taken their toll on engine and gearbox internals as well. The car is sold with a clear title and Ontario registration, making exportation and DMV paperwork the least of the eventual new owner’s worries.

While we wouldn’t be entirely surprised to learn of its eventual resurrection, we don’t envy the monumental task ahead of the next owner, either.